The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) is having its largest conference of the year right now. The event is titled, Navigating Our New Economy. Some of the largest corporations in the country have sent their diversity teams to recruit small businesses to join their supply chain.
Promotions for the event exclaimed:
"This year’s Annual Conference & Exchange, hosted in vibrant Miami, places us at the epicenter of transformation—where markets meet momentum, and where resilience becomes strategy. With deep commitment, we’re bringing together MBE leaders, corporate changemakers, policy influencers, and capital providers to confront the challenges of today and unlock the opportunities of tomorrow."
You would think that an event of this size was just for large minority businesses, but surprisingly it was for businesses large and small. Major corporations need suppliers for all of the everyday things that we don't associate with their businesses.
For instance, United Airlines had a booth at the conference and they were recruiting for landscapers. Amazon had a booth as well and they were recruiting for everything you could imagine, from janitorial services to catering services. Of course there were other companies looking for partners in manufacturing and software development, but the wide range of opportunities for small business owners were eye-opening.
It was beautiful to see all of those minority businesses, both large and small, come together in one place for one common goal, and that goal was commerce.
There were also a great variety of breakout sessions. Some of them were:
• Collaborations, Joint Ventures, Enterprise Transformation
• AI-Powered Marketing: Leveraging Generative Tools for MBE Growth
• The Currency of Connection: How Trust, Relationships & Personal Wholeness Build Bankable Businesses
•Reimagining Economic Growth with Generative AI and Agentic Technologies
• Global Growth Strategies: Legal and Entrepreneurial Insights for MBEs
and so many more.
Events like this should happen frequently and on a local level as well.
There is a regional chapter of this organization called the Carolinas-Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council. You can join this group for potential business opportunities in the Carolinas and Virginia region.
There are also opportunities a little closer to home. Local Chambers of Commerce are a great place to start you networking journey. If you are new to business, these organizations can help you find your footing in the world of business networking.
In addition, there is always a great opportunity for you to be seen locally by advertising in the pages of The Carolinian newspaper!
